


If I Die Before I Wake

by ShippersList



Series: Whumptober 2018 [21]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alien Planet, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Whumptober 2018, implied MCD, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-06 12:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16387922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippersList/pseuds/ShippersList
Summary: No shade, no structures, just endless plains of shifting sands. He knew he was going to die on this planet.Whumptober prompt: Harsh climate





	If I Die Before I Wake

Tony swore a blue streak as the bright circle in the sky flickered and went out, leaving behind only endless, blue sky. Even though he knew his chances of reaching it in time were close to none, he still felt _pissed._

”Fucking Reed Richards!” He spat out, hovering in midair. ”Fuck you and your fucking so-called genius!” He let out a scream that echoed through his helmet, oddly flat and sad without the snarky AI’s comments.

Fuck, he missed JARVIS.

The thought made him jerk in the air, a move not unlike a hiccup, and he swallowed. JARVIS’s absence was a glaring reminder of his situation: stranded on a strange desert (Planet? Universe?) with no idea how to get home. The suit itself still worked—he’d made sure of it after his little missile-into-outer-space stunt—and powered with his arc reactor, it was in no danger to run out of juice. But the loneliness…

He turned slowly, scanning the horizon for buildings, landmarks, or _anything,_ and come up with a full _nada_. The suit’s inbuilt processor provided him with information about things such as distance, temperature, wind, and air quality, and even though he was more than capable of analyzing the data himself, he would’ve preferred to have JARVIS with him.

But he was cut out of Earth and JARVIS.

He was alone.

 

* * *

 

No shade, no structures, just endless plains of shifting sands. Tony squinted his eyes against the glaring sun, trying to calculate how long until it set. Perhaps he could make some headway (to where?) when it was cooler. The armor was climate controlled but he’d prefer the twilight to the intense heat that washed the sands white and made the air ripple in the horizon.

It took almost six hours and then the sun finally set.

…And the second sun rose above the horizon.

Tony stared at it for some time with his mouth gaping open before he huffed, ”You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Two suns made absolutely _no sense_ and he felt almost personally offended.

Or it might just be his dehydration and sleep deprivation talking.

 

* * *

 

He dozed off a bit after the second sun had set and the first (Third? Did it even fucking matter?) was slowly climbing its way back into the sky. By that time, he’d been up for at least thirty-seven hours and he was exhausted. He woke up half-buried in the sand which honestly was something he hadn’t counted on. Apparently, the lower gravity and something about the consistency of the sand itself made it lighter and/or more quicksand-like and he’d started sinking in as soon as he’d landed.

If JARVIS was here, he could’ve taken over the suit and Tony could’ve slept in it. It wasn’t like they hadn’t done it before, even though Tony would deny it if Cap ever asked.

Now, Tony had to pilot the suit himself. No autopilot available.

That…was going to be a problem.

 

* * *

 

The nightmares (Hallucinations? They’re called hallucinations when you’re awake, right?) started after the second time he’d been sucked into the sand.

He tried to stay awake or in the air after that.

 

* * *

 

Tony knew they would find him eventually. JARVIS knew the schematics for the device that could detect palladium and in case of emergency, which this unequivocally was, he had the authorization to go for it.

What Tony didn’t know was how long it would take.

Or how deep int the sand the suit would sink.

And after ninety-odd hours in the scorching heat under the blaring sun he couldn’t escape from, Tony was quite sure he no longer cared.


End file.
